Shillong, Nov 28: Art and Culture Commissioner and Secretary, FR Kharkongor has called upon the need to revisit, revamp and reshape of readers service and reading spaces by adopting new ways of operating the libraries.
While speaking at the inaugural function of the five days capacity building training program for public library professionals held at NEHU here on Tuesday, Kharkongor said that there is a need to make library spaces immersive and making reading content more interesting.
“The library professionals should made efforts to reclaim the lost space. We need to regain the lost spaces by rethinking and redesigning your reading spaces by making it readers centric,” Art and Culture Commissioner and Secretary said.
He recalled that people would visit the libraries during the earlier days to gain knowledge since there was not internet.
“But now the children have it in the palm in their hand,” Kharkongor said.
Informing that there are over 2.20 lakh volumes in the State Central Library, he said that there are 30,000 membership plus.
“But how many of them are visiting the library now. There are library membership cards which have not been used for a long time,” Art and Culture Commissioner said.
He also suggested if the Department of Library Science can adopt a village by setting of mobile libraries to encourage the young minds to develop interest in reading.
Kharkongor also mentioned about the community libraries in Mizoram where people use to visit to read books and for sharing of knowledge.
“We need such initiative here. May be the Department of Library Science can initiate some projects with the help of the government or through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),” he said.
Local MLA of Mawlai, Brightstarwell Marbaniang and Director General of Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation (RRRLF) Prof. BV Sharma also spoke on the occasion.
It may be mentioned that library professionals from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura will be trained in respect of modern ICT technologies for libraries, library automation etc during the five days capacity building programme.
This programme is one of the components under National Mission on Libraries (NML), which was launched by the the President of India, late Pranab Mukherjee in 2014, under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India in pursuance of National Knowledge Commission recommendation for sustained attention for development of Libraries and Information Science Sector.
Till date 37 Nationwide training programmes were organized in the various parts of the country and more that 1400 professionals were trained in respect of managing modern library services towards library automation software, quality infrastructure, resources, updated ICT tools and techniques, emerging trends, preservation and conservation of library resources etc.
“We are organising such Training Programs throughout the country in collaboration with various universities and State Governments. Till now 37 programs were conducted and more than 1400 professionals were trained,” Prof Sharma had said.